Twenty-seven graduate students and early career professionals gathered at McMaster this spring for the second-annual Next Generation in Nuclear Medicine workshop, hosted in partnership with King’s College London.

The three-day workshop helps participants strengthen their academic, technical and professional skills in the evolving field of nuclear medicine and molecular imaging.

As the demand for radiopharmaceuticals grows rapidly around the world, the next generation of innovators will drive the discovery and production of potentially life-saving nuclear medicines, says Raluca Petria, Manager, Nuclear Outreach and Education at McMaster.

“We were honoured to host so many talented young leaders at McMaster for this year’s workshop, where they built upon their skills in radiation safety, isotope production, radiopharmaceuticals and more, and discovered first-hand the role they can play in addressing critical challenges shaping the future of nuclear medicine,” she says.

“We’re grateful to our partners at King’s College London and our sponsors GE Healthcare, Laurentis Energy Partners, Canadian Nuclear Isotope Council, and AtomVie Global Radiopharmaceuticals Inc. for helping us make this workshop a success.”

Take a look at some highlights from the workshop. 

 

The workshop included educational discussions focused on emerging advancements in nuclear medicine – including total body positron-emission tomography (PET), alpha therapy, and applications of AI and machine learning in nuclear medicine – all led by nuclear experts from McMaster, King’s College London and leaders in the nuclear industry.

Participants learned about the core principles of radiation safety, which include radiation detection and wearing Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). McMaster’s health physics team led a decontamination workshop, showing how to safely identify and handle a contamination scenario.

Participants got to engage in hands-on learning activities at McMaster’s nuclear reactor, hot cells, cyclotron facility, high-level labs and neutron activation analysis centre – all of which are used to produce medical isotopes that treat over 70,000 patients worldwide each year.

An evening at The Buttery – with remarks from John Preston, Strategic Advisor to the Vice-President, Research on McMaster’s Nuclear Enterprise – celebrates another successful year for the Next Generation in Nuclear Medicine workshop.